Pluggable electronic devices are increasingly used in connection with host electronic equipment. For example, pluggable electronic modules, such as pluggable electronic or optoelectronic transceiver modules, are increasingly used with host networking equipment for electronic and optoelectronic communication. Pluggable electronic modules typically communicate with a printed circuit board of a host device by transmitting electrical signals to the printed circuit board and receiving electrical signals from the printed circuit board. These electrical signals can then be transmitted by the pluggable electronic module outside the host device as electrical or optical signals. Multi-source agreements (MSAs) specify, among other things, body dimensions for pluggable electronic modules. Conformity with an MSA allows a pluggable electronic module to be plugged into host equipment designed in compliance with the MSA.
One common difficulty associated with pluggable electronic modules concerns the retention of the modules within corresponding host devices. Although various mechanisms have been developed in order to facilitate secure and precise retention of pluggable electronic modules within host devices, these mechanisms can be problematic in certain applications. In particular, these imprecise retention mechanisms can lease to imprecise electrical connections between a printed circuit board of a pluggable electronic module and a printed circuit board of a host device.
For example, many pluggable electronic module retention mechanisms introduce so called “backlash” into the positioning of the module within the host device. “Backlash” refers to an inadvertent repositioning of a pluggable electronic module within the host device due to the operation of the retention mechanism. This “backlash” generally degrades the precision of the electrical connections between the module printed circuit board and the host printed circuit board. Further, many host devices are configured to abut the pluggable electronic module against an uncontrolled feature within the host device, which can also degrade the precision of the electrical connections between the module printed circuit board and the host printed circuit board. This “backlash” and uncontrolled feature abutment contribute to imprecise alignment of electrical connections between the pluggable electronic module and host device, which can result in unacceptable signal loss at these electrical connections.